This invention relates to the field of centrifuges having a rotor with swinging buckets and, more specifically, to a cover for sealing the mouth of such buckets.
In the field of science and medicine, high speed centrifuges are frequently employed to process various reagent or pathogen samples. A typical centrifuge may have a plurality of buckets pivotally mounted around the periphery of the centrifuge rotor. When the rotor is at rest, the buckets hang vertically by force of gravity. When the rotor is revolving at high speed, strong centrifugal forces apply a moment of force to the buckets and cause them to swing out into a horizontal position.
A widely followed practice is to centrifuge a number of specimens at the same time. This is done by loading each bucket of the centrifuge rotor with a sufficient number of specimen containers to make up the desired load size. Typically, the specimen containers are in the form of capped glass test tubes, although plastic tubes, bottles, and bags are also used. Occasionally, a specimen container fails to withstand the force of centrifugation and breaks, and releases its contents in the centrifuge bucket. It is possible for the liquid contents so released to be generated as an aerosol (i.e. a shower of extremely small droplets) and, if the bucket is not covered, the aerosol can escape from the bucket--even during the centrifugation process. If the specimen released is of a harmful nature, the event could pose a serious hazard for the operator and other occupants of the laboratory.
Accordingly, in the interest of safety, some laboratories now require that a sealed cover be used over the opening of a centrifuge bucket containing test tubes in order to preclude the possible release of harmful substances outside of the bucket in the event of test tube breakage during centrifugation. Among the practical considerations applying to any such cover are first, that it seal effectively; then, that it be transparent so that the operator may observe the condition of the bucket contents before removing the cover; and finally, that the cover be simple to use and be either disposable, autoclavable, or otherwise sterilizable.